Up above, in an alcove beside the [Bifrost], Ai and Frigga sat next to each other, the latter combing through some parchment spread out on a crystal table. Her new elven maid stood quietly on standby beside her with a dozen more documents to be stamped and approved. Tedious and mind numbing, Frigga's work had only doubled since Loki departed with Thor into the New World.
Usually, delegation between the royal family and their court of nobles was a responsibility shared by Frigga and Loki, but she did not mind the longer hours. There were few words exchanged between them, but Frigga was able to spend her working hours with her beloved. As long as she was with her Allfather, there was nothing she did not find too mundane.
Since the start of their day, Frigga allocated half her attention to the documents and the other half on Odin. While hiding her own expression behind the brown parchment, she eagerly watched her beloved's face shift from flustered to flabbergasted. By marrying and extending his vision with the [Bifrost], Odin had been spending all his time watching over Loki and Thor. There were definitely times where Frigga almost let out a giggle from seeing and hearing the Allfather's overreactions.
Glad she was not handling the grueling paperwork she was supposed to be doing, Toreii found herself in a different world of emotional pain. It pained her to see her sons interacting with normal people like they're the inept-yet-lucky protagonists of a terrible action movie. If the devs were still here, she would have compiled several pages of complaints to them about the nonexistent social skills both brothers inherited.
Unable to contain her frustration, Toreii had unknowingly let out her gasps and face-palms for Frigga and Viridi to see. It was too late now; the brothers were out and about and she would not be able to recall them for such trivial contrivances. For the foreseeable future, Ai would just have to endure their embarrassments and awkwardness. Just as she was forced to learn proper social interaction over time, her sons should too… except she had to watch until they did.
Meekly gathering the willpower to force herself to continue watching, Ai finally determined charisma was all anyone needed to breeze through life. Although Thor and Loki were incompetent at making normal conversation, their royal upbringing and godly visage were enough to make those surrounding them just as inept at speaking.
She had openly told them both their mission was to gain trust and gather experience in a new realm. In truth, their underlying mission was to be bait for the Dragon Lords. Her only experience with a Dragon Lord was a violent one, but she deemed their knowledge about Players to be worth venturing out for.
Toreii had given meticulous thought to how to deal with them. The safest was simply to let Heimdall find the nearest Dragon Lord and let Thor duke it out to the death. The plan would be effective and efficient, but after weeks and months of inner turmoil, the God of Thunder had become more than just a weapon for her to command. Just as she was her own being with a choice and freedom of will, so too were the Asgardians.
Even though she wanted to correct the brothers on their mannerism, it was probably best for them to learn on their own, especially since they did not know she was secretly watching. With tears in her eyes from a tired yawn, she thanked Viridi for pouring another cup of tea. Properly drinking it this time, the earthy bitterness eased her thoughts for a moment.
Her main worry was the automatic aggro the Asgardians would designate anyone other than their own people, which included her original NPCs. Thankfully that was not the case, as she was able to entertain the thought of Thor leaving the comfort of Asgard, having proven he's more than capable of peaceful coexistence. Still, she wished the brothers were less blatant about their superiority. They still towered above the common man, making it more apparent who was looking down on others.
From the moment they stepped foot in the port city of Vappa, their 'disguises' had failed them immediately. Only one of them was observant of the constant stares they received, as the other merely trekked on with their mission, making her internally scream from the secondhand embarrassment…
It took Loki no time to break down the new-language barrier between his mother tongue and the text of the natives. In a single afternoon, he had memorized their writing system and was able to read already, amazing Toreii to no end. Knowing how long it took Nanami to process each individual symbol, her praise for Loki's brilliance kept piling up as they continued to venture around the city, glad the brothers were making up for each other's shortcomings. Since Thor and Loki were optimized each for brain and brawns, her initial overreaction steadily faded away from memory.
After being given copper plates as newly-minted adventures, they were assigned a lowly rat extermination duty. The smell of rotting fish immediately turned Loki's face sour as they neared the pier; Thor, on the other hand, breathed the air in like it smelled of fresh flowers. Mimicking the duality of comedy and tragedy, Loki precariously watched every step as Thor rushed into the dirty, reddish-stained stone pier.
The murmurs of the fishermen market loomed nearby while the princes of Asgard worked pest control duty. Loki was visibly gagging while holding his breath, yet stayed vigilant, watching out for his brother. Thinking nothing of the size of sewer rats by comparing them to the mythical beasts he previously slew, Thor followed the instructions to where a metal grate held back outsiders from entering.
"I found the entrance, Loki!" He excitedly cheered. Holding back all of his strength, Thor gingerly pulled the rusting grate free.
Wishing he was back in his warm bed and not walking down a sewer full of rotting fish guts, Loki was painfully slow to follow his brother. Using the elven scepter he was gifted, the crystal gem brightly lit the narrow passageway, shining upon the unholy marriage of sewage and bottom-feeders, making him reel back in disgust. The squeaks of scrambling giant rats echoed throughout the chamber as their abnormal bodies splashed black water onto the walls.
Completely unfazed, Thor was quick to react before all of them could scurry away. As fast as his moniker, Mjölnir flew out of his hand and smashed against a large pile of bodies with a meaty thwack. Blood, entrails, and fecal water splashed everywhere from the impact. Fresh red blood stained the walls, but nary sprayed the Asgardian Princes. Metallic humming consumed the air as Mjölnir made its return trip, dripping rat blood along the way.
The flyer the guild girl had given to Loki only called for a dozen rats to be culled, but his overachieving brother made quick work of a legion's worth, as well as a small section of the stone walls… Unable to sigh, lest he breathed in the toxic air, Loki was reminded of his brother's inattentive nature to collateral damage. He would normally speak out against using their Asgardian strength, but for the sake of quickly rising in rank, physical proof of their aptitude was probably for the best.
Flicking his scepter, the ears of the rats ripped themselves off with magic, flying back to the God of Mischief and into a brown sack. Loki quickly departed the scene to get a fresh breath of air. A series of low, deep breaths came from his mouth, while Thor looked excited from completing his first bounty. With daylight still in the skies, he quickly ushered his brother back to the guild for another quest.
~~~ 5 Quests Later ~~~
Loki had noticed a surge of noise surrounding them in the waiting lounge of the guild building as they returned. He easily managed to piece together some rumors here and there, as there was speculation the brothers were secretly adamantite-rank, and this was an undercover investigation being launched to check the usefulness of the adventurers of Vappa.
It was not his fault everyone else lacked the professionalism Loki was pouring into every request. Each flyer had quests ranging from extermination to simple manual labor, yet the other adventurers had the audacity to complain about the Asgardians doing their jobs better than them. Loki merely scoffed at such rude attitudes from the male adventurers. Thor had better luck with his warming charm, defusing any initial hostilities.
The guild girls were eagerly awaiting his return, some of them had already been relieved yet chose to stay anyways. A bright smile and gentle wave from Thor were all it took for the young women to blush and close their eyes in blissful fantasy. Behind the counter, a trio of gals were pushing each other away from the window Thor had walked to. Eventually, a victor emerged, her hair disheveled from their usual neat buns. A bright red blush burned on her cheeks like she was a lightweight drinker, but she greeted the Odinson as if they were close friends.
Loki rolled his eyes at his brother's luck with women, but more so from his obliviousness. Starting the day with no budget at all, Thor's rampant enthusiasm for doing more quests had raised enough coin for them to stay at a decent inn tonight. Instead of the run-down tavern proposed to all starting adventurers, their sleep will not be interrupted by rats or bugs.
The second prince had standards, after all.
When the one-sided flirting drew to a close, Thor looked to the bulletin board since they had time for another quest before bed. Quickly ending such notion, Loki wrapped his arm around his brother and ushered them towards the door. Handing over another bag of coins to his brother, Loki deposited their money into a larger coin purse while he led them to their inn for the night.
"Today was great, Loki! I can't believe there's just a giant board of quests people need done! Why haven't we thought of this before? What a marvelous novelty," exclaimed Thor.
"It's just hired mercenaries with extra steps, brother. The adventurer's guild might be sanctioned by the local governor, but their neutral policies are blatant at best. Such a large gathering of strong-ish individuals under the same banner is bound to lead to abuse eventually, especially when government officials have their own personal team of adventurers on call at any time," ranted Loki. It was definitely a flawed system without much checks and balances in place to stop a hostile takeover or the quelling of an opposition.
Thor normally would have zoned out at every other word, but this time, he had taken careful counter measures. To stop himself from falling back into his old ways, Thor quickly jotted down what his brother spoke about into a brand-new personal journal, creating smudges on the clean white pages in his rush. It was by no means perfect, but it was a start.
Pleasantly surprised by Thor's initiative to learn, Loki did not mind repeating his ramblings.
Growing more confident the two could manage on their own, Toreii limited herself to checking on them once per day. She did not know if the [Bifrost]'s usage could be detected by other Players, so she was glad the brothers were making great strides in the New World. Reports from Nanami were coming in steadily now, but Viridi still had to process them first for Toreii to read them.
Her days in Asgard had grown peaceful, and she found herself settling into a daily routine. Morning tea with Frigga was followed immediately with brunch or lunch with noble families around Asgard. Thrilled beyond comparison by the return of daily meals, Toreii was hesitant about setting a return date for Loki and Thor. When midday came around, she and Frigga would idly wander through the gardens and monuments around Odin's castle.
The Queen of Asgard cherished every new day more than the last, as she got to spend every moment now with her beloved. As they both perused new sights every day, she felt like Odin was taking her on mini-dates. Even if the date ended with her fulfilling her queenly duties, Frigga did not mind in the slightest; as the Allfather best described it: "It's not about what you do; it's who you're with."
Frigga ended her days reading reports from their nobles and officiating any documents for the future benefit of Asgard. New decrees were given precedence as Odin began steering Asgardians away from a conquest-like mindset. A new faction would undoubtedly form to undermine the everlasting peaceful days Odin desired. Thus, she kept her husband blissfully ignorant of their existence. Seeking the help of her new daughter, Viridi, the ancient elf's brilliance quickly set the warmongering faction on an implosion course.
In order to secure the happiness of her beloved, Frigga would not hesitate to stain her hands.
Toreii, who was none the wiser about Asgardian politics, was sightseeing in her own city. Lying to herself by saying she was on a sabbatical, Ai justified this self-indulgence as meeting the commonwealth. Monument to monument, from parks to shops, Toreii retraced her steps throughout the entire city, eager to get more than repeated two-line dialogues from the Asgardians, Ai finally found the utopia she always dreamed of.
Doped on the euphoria of new experiences as well as regular meals, Toreii began taking an interest in the duties she handed off to Frigga. Eating dinner outside the balcony of their shared bedroom, Toreii casually asked, "Have you run into any trouble with the nobles?"
In the second Frigga took to answer, the Queen of Asgard and Viridi exchanged a silent conversation with nothing more than glances. Their secret operation was authorized by Frigga and executed by Viridi, holding both of them accountable. Neither would jeopardize the other as they both had a common goal. "There have been a few complaints, but nothing too important; merely gossip between women."
Ai took an immediate interest after hearing so, having never been privy to any social girl circles growing up. "Tell me more. I would like to know what my people's concerns are," replied Toreii.
Uncertainty clouded Frigga's mind. On one hand, she cherished the loving husband Odin had become, who had endlessly showered her with kindness and affection. On the other hand, Odin had also taken an interest in things he previously couldn't care less for. Normally, she would have given a straight-faced lie about such trivial matters, but the person he fell in love with did not deserve such treatment.
Seeing the crumbling resolve of her partner-in-crime, Viridi realized the futility of keeping any secrets from her perfect mother. She ran through a dozen possibilities in her mind, yet they always came to the same conclusion, which was Toreii already knew about their plan and had given them both a chance to come clean. Keeping her head slightly bowed, Viridi hoped Frigga knew to cut their losses.
Frigga watched Viridi raise an invisible white flag, causing her to doubt if their plan would have worked at all in the first place. Seeing nothing but continued losses in her immediate future, Frigga yielded to the young adolescent. "Very well, my beloved. I fear there has been a splinter among the noble families. Your decree to stop Asgardian aggression has angered several, longstanding families with a passion for conquest; however, I assure you it is a very vocal minority," said Frigga, trying to reaffirm her beloved's decision.
Although her only experiences with ruling were from civilization management games, this was the first time she had encountered internal friction from actually not being hostile enough. There was no doubt in her mind an Asgardian army would wipe out any opposing force, be it Dragon Lords or Players, but she needed to curb their bloodlust. Ai was not a person who looked for trouble, especially when trouble keeps finding her.
Outright confrontation would just make examples of what happened to those who opposed her wishes. A secondary ripple effect would be the fear instilled in them of having different opinions than Toreii, who would eventually be wrong. Being challenged helped her stay in line with current issues Asgard faced, allowing every Asgardian to grow as a nation. Otherwise, she feared a single wrong decision from her could lead to a 'Julius Caesar'-kind of revolution.
Getting anything done would be tough if she stayed a neutral moderate. Toreii wielded the authority to turn words into commandments, but it did not mean she had to use the power. Seeing the opportunity to gain more experience as a ruler, Ai excitedly welcomed the challenge. "I would like to speak with them about their concerns in person. Can I trouble you to set up the meeting with these families?"
Frigga's skin gradually paled from a healthy cream white to a ghostly alabaster. Losing feeling in her extremities despite the warm breeze blowing, she obediently agreed, "It shall be done, my King."
While Thor finished their third quest before midday, Loki occupied himself at the magician's guild. The God of Thunder had caused an abundance of guild girls to be flustered due to his charming charisma. The second prince did have a similar effect, however… it's not quite on the gender he preferred. Wizards and warlocks, apprentice and masters alike, saw Loki as a magister of magic despite his currently-unknown name and reputation.
Yes, they surrounded him with endless admiration… but an overwhelming majority of them were male. Starved for attention for so long, Loki truthfully was happy to receive any. Fulfilling another request by the guild, he sold a spell scroll in exchange for a pouch of gold pieces. Finding the quests the adventurer's guild gave out more suited for Thor, Loki focused on generating their income with his spellcasting.
Presenting himself as a naturally-gifted magi, all it took was a showcase of the 4th-Tier for the humans to flock to him. Getting a taste of what Thor had grown used to, Loki savored the endless compliments while it lasted. Letters asking for his personal services were stacking up daily, including magical tutelage for the governor's children – which unfortunately he had to personally pick up every day at the guild's mailbox for his lack of a semi-permanent address.
Accepting the proposal would certainly increase their spending budget by quite a bit, but Loki had other priorities. Odin had given him very specific instructions to complete, while also keeping an eye out for Thor. The humans of the New World had different forms of magic, as well as spells their old realm did not. The vast majority of spells from their old world was for combative purposes. New spells only found in the New World had practicality in mind, which would explain their simplicity and style.
Leaving the museum-like building, he hid his pouch of coins away from view. Pulling out a personal journal, black ink started to orderly soak the white pages without the need for him to even lift a pen. He filled the book with his notes on humans and their magic, mostly how lackluster their magic was compared to Yggdrasil's. It puzzled the God of Mischief why the Allfather, of all people, would take an interest in such low-level magic. He saw absolutely no benefits in learning their systems or type of magic compared to his own arcane heritage.
Still, he did what he was asked. The notebook closed with a soft thud as it returned to his person before disappearing altogether. Loki quickly made his way back to the adventurer's guild as lunch time approached. The brothers would have their rank promotion evaluations today with the guild master. His credulous brother would no doubt soak up everything the guild master had to say about 'honor' and 'duty', but Loki had a job to do. Until they had any kind of lead on dragons, Loki would have to keep his tongue in check, since there's no doubt he would have to sit through all these 'warrior banter'.
He already knew what must be done.
Dispatched immediately after giving her report, Nanami shifted through the shadows of the trees. A snowy mountain top in the distance was quickly becoming larger and larger as she ran as fast as she could while still maintaining her perfect stealth, her flats' soles not even leaving any indent in the snow. The growing snow storm was a perfect cover for her.
The mismatched coloration of Nanami's purple robes and the snow-white land was the only thing Toreii had to keep track of her daughter's safety. Her usage of the [Bifrost] had given her vision of everything she wished to see, bypassing even her daughter's highly-specialized stealth skills – an effort she regretted having to expend. Abusing a World-Class Item for personal gain – and just to observe a single person, at that – was not something she was above of, but she felt it disturbing the devs had practically programmed themselves an omniscient spycam.
Pulling her mind out of the gutter, she resumed her viewing. Nanami had found a lead from the temple archives shortly after arriving at Vappa. Hidden in the northern mountain region was a human city who worshiped a dragon. Interlocked in a magical pact with it, a dragon priestess heralded the wishes of the people to their protector. Ai was skeptical of a religion founded by a bunch of dragon worshipers, and wondered how such a society even functioned.
Expecting at least a magical barrier, Toreii grew more skeptical of how powerful the dragon was if there were not even security measures put in place. Perhaps she had jumped the gun, and there was actually no dragon at all. Perhaps the 'dragon' was only a lie to keep outsiders out of their city? With the risk of getting stuck with a Schrödinger's dragon, she was hesitant about outright using her [Bifrost] near a Dragon Lord. Their magic was powerful and on par with at least the Super-Tiers — perhaps even World-Class Items — which made her more paranoid about mixing World-Class Items with them.
Toreii had lucked out with her first encounter with a Dragon Lord as she only used [Gungnir] at the time. She needed more information about what kind of magic these dragons were capable of and how it functioned. Level 100 was the max for Yggdrasil Players, but she did not know if it were the same for the New World inhabitants. Taking the proper precautions this time, Toreii had a dozen sigils on standby, all aimed at Nanami's location like artillery cannons.
Stopping just out of view of the city's watch tower, Nanami made sure to survey the perimeter. Dense forestry created a singular path into the main checkpoint, while the back of the city was the mountain itself. She checked for magical traps just like how her mother taught her, but found this place to be dangerously lacking thereof. No barriers, spellbinding circles, or even physical traps were in place.
Whatever protection the city inhabitants had, Nanami's skills were unable to detect any. After confirming she was still out of their line of sight, she made her way to the rendezvous point. Flying ahead of her, Gratia had dressed the part of a refugee, covered in rags from head to toe. The once-defiant dragon-girl greeted Nanami with her usual respectful bow, like she was trained to do so.
Acknowledging her with a light nod of her head, Nanami quickly briefed Gratia on their plan. Since they were jumping into an unknown location as the first line of information, caution had to be taken at every step. Half a dozen scrolls burned blue in the chilly air, granting Gratia additional protection from magical traps. At first, she considered the servant-girl to be nothing more than a plaything Viridi was lending her, but over time, Nanami's pity for Gratia grew. Becoming darkness and blending herself with Gratia's shadow, Nanami played the part of the hidden supervisor.
A light snowfall softly started while the air grew colder. Day swiftly changed to night, forcing Gratia to light a makeshift torch from tree branches, completing her disguise as a needy human, since her draconic abilities and slitted eyes meant she naturally was able to see clearly in the dark. She hoped the disguise would pass any initial inspection, as it was the same kind of rags the enslaved elves had worn. Infiltration and information gathering was not her forte, but she wanted to pay back the kindness her patron had showered her with.
Unbeknownst to her, Gratia Al-Shun had been wiped from existence many months ago. Just as Viridi had planned to do with Vy, the ancient elf had practiced this technique beforehand on their prisoner of war. Erasing everything and starting from scratch, Viridi had created a hundred years' worth of fake memories while putting herself as the centerpiece of the dragon-girl's life. To completely ensure she had stomped the former heiress of a Dragon Lord figuratively to death, Gratia had endured a total of seven personality wipes, becoming more docile every time.
Like a Player would do for their personal NPC, the dragoness had a brand-new backstory to instill absolute loyalty into her. The Deity's Parthenon was technically an orphanage, dedicated to raising children of all races and backgrounds, with the four Noble Sisters among the first to be adopted by the adolescent goddess. Viridi looked to follow her mother's example, becoming the angel she is now.
Gratia's story now became someone who's abandoned at birth due to her half-breed features; out of the eternal kindness of her heart, the ancient elf had taken Gratia under her wing. Bathed, clothed, and loved by her guardian angel, as the centuries went by, Gratia dedicated her entire being into servitude. Giving back the only way she could, her ardent fealty would last until her final breath of life. Although she had lived well beyond what constituted a normal lifetime, her age paled in comparison to the matron Deity.
Despite being sealed away for three millennia by dragons, Toreii had harbored no ill will for dragonkin. The merciful goddess recognized the crimes of a few should not condemn the lives of the many, a trait rarely held by absolute rulers. She had sought to bring to justice only those who had wronged her and robbed her of time with her children.
Gratia understood very well the pain of a child separated from their parents. Regret once held a tight grip on her unsure heart at never knowing her true parentage, but the unconditional love she received while growing up more than convinced her it was unnecessary. Dragonkin or not, her loyalties were with the martyr saint, Toreii — whose only crime was trying to bring kindness to a cruel world.
The snowfall quickly became heavy just as Gratia made it to the checkpoint.
Sheltered in her golden castle, Toreii was none the wiser of her daughter's actions.
A/N: More progress for the Asgardians and those Toreii had met. I hope you like the development.